Around midnight, the wind howled and thunder roared. A torrential downpour suddenly poured down in sheets, as though countless cracks had torn across the darkened sky. The rain came down fiercely, while the trees swayed wildly in the storm.
“Mother… Mother… sob, Mother…”
Gu Qiran tossed and turned restlessly in bed, murmuring in his sleep.
Luo Qingqing was a light sleeper and was awakened by the noise. She threw on a coat and hurried to his bedside.
“Qiran, what’s wrong? Wake up.”
Thinking he was having a nightmare, Luo Qingqing wanted to wake him as quickly as possible.
She gently shook his shoulder, but he suddenly grabbed her hand and held it tightly. Tears streamed down his face as he continued mumbling, “Mother… Mother…”
He must have been having a nightmare.
With one hand trapped in his grasp, Luo Qingqing used her other arm to pull him into her embrace and softly comforted him.
“Mother’s here. Qiran, don’t cry. Don’t cry. Mother’s here. We’re little men, so we can’t cry, can we? Be good, Qiran.”
Luo Qingqing coaxed him for quite a while. Half of her body had gone numb from kneeling beside the bed, and only then did the little boy finally stop sobbing.
Now Luo Qingqing didn’t dare move or pull her hand away. She was afraid he might wake up. She would wait until he was sleeping soundly before moving.
For some reason, she suddenly felt like she had become a mother ahead of schedule.
At that moment, Gu Jing’an was standing outside the door.
The rain continued to roar beneath the eaves, just as heavy as it had been that day.
Yet no amount of rain could extinguish that raging fire.
He had been twelve years old that year.
He had watched that man leave with the army without sending back a single letter.
He had watched his mother crushed beneath the burning beams of the house, telling him to live well.
He had watched his mother smile gently at him until the very last moment, when the flames finally consumed her.
He hated the vicious servants of the Gu family who had stood by coldly without anyone attempting to put out the fire.
He hated the filth and cruelty of imperial power, which treated human lives as worthless as ants.
Most of all, he hated that man for being unable to protect even his own wife and children, yet still foolishly dreaming of protecting the entire Great Zhou.
The surviving hidden guards of his maternal grandfather had saved him, Qiran, and Xuanning.
But they had been unable to save his mother.
A tear fell from Gu Jing’an’s long, narrow phoenix eyes. It mingled with the rain and disappeared without a trace.
Just like him tonight, it was as though he had never been there.
“Favorability +20. Current favorability: +10. Total points: 1,000.”
The system’s cold voice instantly snapped Luo Qingqing awake.
What did Gu Jing’an increase his favorability for? I haven’t even done anything!
“Would the host like to exchange the reward?”
Luo Qingqing rubbed her hands together, grinning from ear to ear. She asked slyly, “What can I exchange for, Great System?”
The system secretly complained:
What a shameless woman. Weren’t you threatening to slit my throat with a knife just now? Even a turtle isn’t as flexible as you are.
Pretending to be aloof, it said, “One thousand points can be exchanged for three wishes. You cannot wish to return to your original world. Other wishes will be fulfilled to the best of my ability.”
“Can you give me a cellphone? It’s so boring here. I’m about to start growing mushrooms.”
A wish was a second-level reward, and she actually wanted to use one for this…
“Fine. But you can only use it for one hour each week.”
“Deal.”
Having something was better than having nothing. Being content was one of Luo Qingqing’s greatest virtues.
“I’ll save the other two wishes for now. I’ll come to you when I’ve thought of something.”
“I am the noble System Lord. Not just anyone can summon me. Only I can come to you,” the system said arrogantly.
“Where’s my knife? My neck feels itchy.”
As she spoke, Luo Qingqing even sat up and started looking around for it.
“…”
“I’ll appear when you need me.”
I’m not a real person, but you really are a dog.
I am the dignified System Lord! When have I ever been treated this unfairly? Luo Qingqing, you’re the worst host I’ve ever had!!!
Luo Qingqing adjusted her sleeping position and pulled the blanket over herself.
“Good night, little system.”
With that, she fell asleep.
She slept soundly through the night without a single dream.
The next morning, the sky was crystal clear.
At dawn, the sun lazily rose amid the urging of the crowing roosters. Its first rays of golden light streamed warmly into the room, filling it with a cozy glow.
Luo Qingqing was already awake.
The two little ones had finished their school break, so today they had to return to school.
“Qiran, Xuanning, wake up. Time to get up! You have to go to school today.”
She shook the two children awake one after another. After making sure they wouldn’t fall back asleep, she got up and went to the kitchen.
Gu Jing’an had risen even earlier and was already cooking porridge.
He was wearing the clothes Luo Qingqing had bought for him yesterday.
The deep-blue robe accentuated his lean waist with its sash. He wore black trousers and boots, while his black hair was tied back with a smoky-gray ribbon, giving him a relaxed, natural appearance.
Standing in a kitchen filled with the warmth and smoke of daily life, he looked somewhat out of place.
It was as though an immortal from the heavens had accidentally fallen into the mortal world.
Luo Qingqing stared at him for quite a while before smiling lightly.
“Does the clothing fit?”
Gu Jing’an had noticed her gaze long ago.
He had thought she would compliment him, just as she had complimented Qiran.
But she didn’t.
An inexplicable emotion filled his chest, leaving him irritated.
He suddenly remembered that morning.
In order to match the deep-blue robe, he had spent an entire quarter of an hour choosing his hair ribbon.
What was wrong with him?
He had wasted fifteen minutes doing something completely meaningless, all just so Luo Qingqing would compliment him on how handsome he looked?
Luo Qingqing suddenly felt as though the kitchen had grown colder.
The atmosphere seemed a little strange.
The favorability had increased last night, and she had even received three wishes. She hadn’t properly thanked Gu Jing’an yet!
Perhaps she should compliment him first.
Who didn’t like being complimented when wearing new clothes?
“The deep blue really suits you. I picked it out the moment I saw it at the cloth shop. I thought it would look especially good on you, and it turns out my judgment was pretty good.”
Gu Jing’an gently pressed his lips together.
The dark color in his eyes seemed to grow even deeper.
He calmly replied, “It fits. Your taste is excellent.”
After breakfast, Gu Jing’an and the two children left for school.
Luo Qingqing prepared the medicine and brought it inside.
She felt rather uncomfortable being alone in the same room with Shen Huaiyu.
She sat there awkwardly as she waited for him to finish drinking it. As soon as he was done, she took the bowl and immediately prepared to leave.
“Madam Gu, please wait.”
Shen Huaiyu took a jade pendant from beneath his pillow and held it out to her.
“For saving my life, I have no way to repay you. Gold and silver would be too vulgar for such a favor. This jade pendant is my token. If you ever encounter difficulties in the future, you may come to the capital and look for me.”
The jade felt warm and smooth against her hand.
It was clearly a fine piece of jade.
Since it was a token, she probably couldn’t sell it.
Inside, Luo Qingqing was screaming:
You should repay me with gold and silver! Please insult me with gold and silver as much as you like! I’m willing! I’m very willing!!!
But on the outside, she maintained a calm expression and politely bowed in thanks.
Shen Huaiyu intended to leave before lunch.
Seeing that she couldn’t persuade him to stay, Luo Qingqing packed some food and water for him to take along.
As she saw him off at the door, Shen Huaiyu gazed intently at her and said softly,
“We’ll meet again someday.”
Luo Qingqing merely smiled without saying anything.
She genuinely didn’t know what she was supposed to say.
Shen Huaiyu turned around, his thoughts in turmoil.
Luo Qingqing looked far too much like that person.
He needed to return to the capital and investigate what had happened back then. It might also help resolve the knot that had remained in his grandmother’s heart for so many years.
After spending these few days with Gu Jing’an, he could also tell that this man was no ordinary person.
Once he entered officialdom through the imperial examinations, the two of them would surely meet again.